Flashlight



April 19, 1949. Y BECKER 2,467,954

FLASHLIGHT- Filed Feb. 25, 1946 I 29 B 128 so 25 .91 I 26 INVENTOR RopaER F BECKER 2%TTORNEY able source of light which Patented Apr. 19, 1949 FLASHLIGHT Rodger F. Becker, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Application February 23, 1946, Serial 1 Claim; (01. 240-101;)

This invention relates to a flashlight and particularly to one having an elongated flexible cable supporting the bulb at a distance from, and in adjustable relationship to, a battery carrying case.

While there have been many types of lights hitherto used for illuminating machinery during maintenance or repair work thereon, there has remained unfilled a need for a small, readily portcould illuminate the places difiicult to reach with ordinary illuminating means, such as the deeper recesses of an automobile engine. This source of illumination should be small in order that it may be placed in a wide number of otherwise difiicult places, sturdy in order to stand hard usage, and economical to make. It should supply its own supporting means, the direction of the beam should be adjustable with respect to the remainder of the instrument and, when the adjustment has been made it should be able to support itself in such adjusted direction.

Accordingly, in developing my invention a major object has been to provide a readily portable and completely self-contained source of illumination, having sufficiently small overall dimensions to enable it to reach and readily illuminate the deep, and usually dark, recesses of machinery such as an automobile engine, which cannot be readily illuminated by present conventional means.

A further object has been to provide such an instrument wherein the bulb is supported at a distance from, and in adjustable relationship to, a battery carrying case.

A further object of my invention has been to provide an instrument as aforesaid which will support itself in a variety of positions without the necessity of additional or special attachments, such as rings, hooks and the like;

A further object of my invention is to provide such an instrument constructed with a maximum of simplicity by which to minimize both cost and maintenance problems.

Other objects and purposes of my invention will be apparent to those acquainted with equipment of this sort and the problems which it is intended to solve, upon reference to the accompanying drawing and the following specification.

In the drawing, the figure represents a partially broken side view of my flashlight wherein the sectioned parts are taken in central longitudinal section.

In providing a flashlight meeting the objects and purposes above outlined, I provide a cylindrical battery carrying case, a flexible cable mounted thereon of such type that it will stay in whatever position it is placed within its constructional limits, and which cable supports at its end a flashlight bulb holder. When suitably fitted with batteries and a flashlight bulb, the instrument may be utilized for projecting light into a wide variety of places otherwise inaccessible to illumination by having the cable of such stillness that it will remain in any ordinary position in which it is placed so that no further support will be needed for the flashlight bulb. Further, the cable itself may be bent into the form of a hook and the entire instrument placed over a convenient support with the illuminating head directed as desired and the whole thus adequately supported without the need for further supporting means.

Referring now to the drawing there is provided a cylindrical battery case I receiving therein batteries 2 and 3 of the ordinary dry-cell type. One end of said case is closed by a threaded switch plug 4 and the other end by a threaded cable retaining plug 5. Since the case I may normally be made from relatively thin material, the threading therein which cooperates with the threading of the closure plugs at each end may advantageously be made by properly indenting the walls of the case as indicated at numerals 6, I and 8.

The cable retaining plug is of substantially cylindrical shape having a knurled flange 9 and threading Ill. The outer end of said member extends somewhat beyond the flange 9 and is steppedly tapered downwardly to a smaller diameter to provide an attractive finished appearance for this end of the battery case. At the inner end of said member is a somewhat elongated boss 12.

Extending through said member and through said elongated boss is a central opening l8 accommodating the supporting cable l4 and a central electrically conductive wire 15. The cable l4 terminates substantially flush with the end of the boss l2, and the central wire 15 extends on through an insulating washer It to a battery contact ll to which said wireis fastened in any convenient way, as by soldering. This contact is held against the terminal I8 of the battery 2 when the electrical circuit is closed. A coil spring is surrounds the boss l2, being held at its one end by the end of the cableretaining plug 5 from which the boss l2 extends and surrounding said boss, and being held at its other endby the end of the battery 2 surrounding the terminal is.

A tubular cable I4 is woven from a plurality of fine steel wire elements and is of any convenient type which may be placed into a selected position and which when so placed will hold such position. At least one available cable of this kind provides tubular weaving wherein a plurality of strands cross each other at substantially right angles to each other, one group describing a helix extending in one direction around said cable and the other group woven into the first group and describing a helix extending in the other direction around said cable, I

This cablejan'd the'wire contained therein may conveniently'be affixed to the closure member 5 by swaging at a point near the end of the boss l2, such as the point 20, or in any other cor;- venient manner.

The cable may be of any length desired but a convenient length has been foundto'beabout eight inches which is aflength approximately equal to the length of the battery case when two dry cell batteries are used. This willbe found long enough to meet most needs without being so long as to be awkward to handle.

At the other end of said cable is the bulb holding member 2|. This-member issomewhat steppedly, or otherwise tapered 'atits 'cableward' end 22 in'order both to provide an attractive appearance and to provide"a-' sufiicientlythin section at 23 for swaging to the cable. There extends through said member an "openingtd of'one'diameter for receivingfsaid'cable which opening communicates with anbpening 25 of larger'diameter which is inwardly threaded at 26 for reception of"an ordinarythrea'ded base flashlight bulb 27. The cableterminates"substantially flush with or slightly-short'pt-the point 23 of widening from the 'narrow'*opening24 to the wider opening 25 and *thecentral wire it which extends beyond such point is surrounded by an insulating washer*29. J'Said *wireisfastened to a bulb contact "30 'which is'by said washer Et entirely insulated from electrical-contact with any part of the socket'member" 2 I.

The flashlight'bulb may be screwed into the large opening2'5 on the jthreads "26 and its terminal3l will then touch the contact 38.

The electrical" circuit 'Wh'i chis shown in'the drawing as c'losed, -'niay' be considered as beginning with the battery terminal l8 extending through the-central wire 15" to the terminal-3i of the bulb 21"and then'through said bulb to outer casing, thence-through thesoc'ket member 24 back through tnecamelttdthe cliisllie llle lnher 5, through it and the case l to the closure member t and thjen'ce-tothe'oppos'ite terminal'of the battery 3. -For this" purpose to the two batteries can be considered as a single battery.

It will be observed thatbyusingabea'm throwing bulb of 'thetyp'e s hown in the drawing this flashlight can be madeto" throw a limited beam without further attachment. However, a round bulb may be utilized inplace of the'beam throwing bulb shown without'cha-n'ging my invention.

In assembling the device" and closing the electrical circuit "to effect the-position shown in the drawing, the closure'memb'erfi has been screwed inwardly sufiicintly to advance the terminal it of the battery Zinto contact'with the battery contact ll. This efiects substantial compression of the spring l9 'so that when the closure 4 is partly unscrewed said 'spring will push said battery back away from the fbatt'erycontact' I! and thereby break the electric circuit and deen'ergize the bulb.

Accordingly, Ihavedis'c'lo'sed a flashlight meeting the objects and purposes above outlined and maintaining throughout-*a-maximum of structural simplicity.

" threaded, one-piece cap engaging the threads at "one end of said body member for closing said one end; an elongated, externally threaded, one-piece closure member defining a central opening and having an-integral, elongated, annular collar on one of its ends coaxial with said opening, said closure member engaging the threads at the other end of said body member; a cable including a flexible, woven, 'in'etallic, external, sheathing, a metallic core, and' a flexible" electrically nonconductive wrappingbetween-said sheathing and said core whereby said'cable may be bent'through an arc in any direction and remain in the shape so bent until urged in another direction; one end of said cable received into said central opening in said'closure member and extending into said annular collar; said core 'at said one end-of said cable projecting beyond sa'id 'sheathing, wrapping and annular collar and having an enlarged metallic contact member'on sai'd projecting end of said core; an annular spac'enof electricallynonconductive material surround-ing said core; positioned between said contact a'nd'saidannular collar and bein of external diameter larger than theinternal diameter of 'saidannularbollar and of internal diameter smaller than the external diameter of said contact memben'whereby the said cable is held within said'closure' mernber; a onepiece, metallic, slender tubular head-anchored to the other end of said cable;- said-cable received into said head'a'major portion of thelength of said head; thee'ndof said' headaway from said cable being equipped with internal threads for receiving a prefocused bulb; said core of said cable projecting beyozid-thee'nd of-said sheathing and said wrapping and'having a terminal member thereon in-position forc'ontact-with said bulb;

a washer of electrically nonconductive material surrounding said core between said terminal member and the end'of said sheathing and wrap ping; said body member beingadapted'for reception therein of-a' battery unit;---a coiled resilient member surrounding said annular collar and "seated against said olosurem'ember for urging RE FEEENGES GIT'ED The following re'fincs are of record in the file ofthis patent:

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